Page 198 - A Call for a Turkish-Islamic Union

A CALL FOR A TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION

went through these horrific experiences, and they built themselves
upon the exploitation and oppression of millions of poor people.
The developmental model of a society dominated by Islamic

morality will comprise social justice. The West suffered great in-
justice during its own development because its leaders adhered
to materialism's misconceptions of human nature. Islamic moral-
ity, however, requires people to be entrepreneurs and pioneers
in all fields, as well as compassionate, selfless, and just to others.
Throughout the rise of Islamic civilization, Muslims were world
leaders in economics and very successful traders. However, the
resulting wealth did not remain in the hands of the few, but
spread throughout society. Such social aid institutions as chari-

table organizations, social complexes, soup kitchens, cara-
vanserai (large inns), public baths, and libraries show that wealth
and culture did not remain in the hands of a few Muslims, but
were accessible to all. The envisaged Turkish Islamic Union must
adopt this developmental model.
Another aspect of this developmental model is open-mind-
edness. Islamic morality requires Muslims to be open-minded or,

in other words, that they maintain relations with other cultures
and benefit from their achievements. For this reason, Muslim
thinkers and scientists examined earlier Greek, Chinese, Roman,
and Indian scholarly works, from which they acquired knowl-
edge and then developed and enriched with an Islamic under-
standing. The Islamic world of today must examine other cul-
tures, in particular those of the West, benefit from their accumu-
lated knowledge, and then use and advance them further for
their own—and humanity's—benefit.

Trying to isolate the Islamic world from other cultures mak-
ing it self-contained will not benefit Muslims. Islamic morality
demands that technology be used to the full. For instance, Mus-

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